What does it mean to be a refugee? Why does a person become a refugee? Who takes care of you?
A refugee is a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable to or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him or herself of the protection of that country…”
(The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees)
The United Nations has established an agency whose primary focus is addressing the issues of, and assisting refugees around the world. This agency, the UNHCR, was established to assist countries in creating laws and making arrangements for assisting those fleeing their home countries. When someone comes to a country which is not there country of nationality (or where they were born) they are called an asylum seeker because they are looking for a safe place to stay. Once within a new country, these refugees or asylum seekers are required to follow the laws of the country they are in, and also should be given the same rights as another foreigner with legal residency.
There are many reasons why people leave their homes, but today the global movement of people occurs far more quick and more frequently then during any other era. This means that those who seek to help refugees are working in a far more complex environment.